"the countryside is a heaven of peace and tranquility"
Dream and delight will lie in wait for you wherever you
go sightseeing during your stay. It is a real pleasure
to come into fist-hand contact with the locals and that
legendary smile on their faces. Get to know their way
of life; give yourself time and take a close look at their
favourite occupations and at the way they strive to keep
their heads above the water: farming, arts, and crafts….
Listen to the local history of their villages while doing
a tour round sites, each of which is of equal importance.
Those villagers will give unstintingly of their great
fund of information to teach you in minute detail; and
will do so of their own free will, with joy and respectfully.
You will subsequently find out to what extent they give
such occasions a great value, in every sense of the word.
(see ...)
Sea
W ith its 5000 km of coastline, Madagascar offers a wide
range of waters for all tastes and all passions. All the
sites have their own particularities but they share the
same beauty. The Northwest islands, including Nosy-Be,
have made spectacular progress with their hotel infrastructure
and concentrate the largest number of diving companies.
Tulear, in the Southwest has the second largest coral
reef in the world after that of Australia, whereas the
Garden-Island of Sainte Marie in the east is the meting
place of all connoisseurs, men as well as... whales !
But in Madagascar, the sea can also be the simple pleasure
of initiation to the use of traditional dugout or of the
discovery of a Vezo fishermen village in the middle of
nowhere.
Discovery
Madagascar is an immense country where discovery can
punctuate all itineraries. It is in the wonders of nature
which has sculpted those peculiar shapes of the Isalo
or has sprung up from the sea the sharp peaks of the
Tsingy.
IDiscovry is in the relics of the past and in the multi-facetted
culture where even the funeral art is a hymn to life.
It is in the creativity of craftsmen who transform with
their skilled fingers any materials. It is in the customs
and ways of life. Discovery is here and elsewhere, it
is evrywhere...
Ecotourism
More than a concept, ecotourism is first all a state of
mind that cultivates the respect of the environment. Madagascar
wants to correct the damages due to some practices such
as forest burning for cultivation, and has decided to
multiply by three the surface of its protected areas within
5 years. The country has more than 50 National Parks,
and the co-operation between the tourism sector and environmental
organizations is gtting closer. Isalo and Andasibe are
the most visited parks, but areas such as the mountain
of Ambre, Ankarana or the lake Tsimanampetsotsa - famous
for its blind fishes and pink flamingo colonies - are
also ecotourism high places. Madagascar values its title
of Sanctuary with the unequalled endemicity of its fauna
and flora.
Ornithology
Madagascar can become a first-class destination for people
who are fond of birdwatching. They are more than 15 million
of them in the United States where a "Fody of Madagascar"
fan club exists! The country counts 285 species of birds,
which seems relatively limited if compared to others places,
but 110 out of this total are only found the Great Island,
and that is a very high rate of endemicity rarely matched
elsewhere. 50% of the endemic species are located in the
north and east rainforests, other bird populations prefering
for their part lakes and big river estuaries. Birdwatchers
often choose to come during the last four months of the
year for a very simple reason : it is easy to located
birds through their songs during this season.
Expeditions
Walking remains the most popular way of travelling in
Mdagascar! Hikers and trekking lovers play willingly the
game all the more because the areas where it can be practised
are numerous, taking as examples the Antongil bay, all
the northwest region and the Highlands.
Roads are experiencing a much-awaited revival, but unsuspected
places which are only accessible by 4WD cars, dugouts
and, why not, horse-drawn carts will always be there.
For discoverers who do not put off difficulties, it is
the opportunity to come meeting across another world and
another Tourism.
Fluvial
tourism
As it is common in Madagascar, a product is never isolated.
It integrates itself into an environment where everything
complements one another to make up this omnipresent diversity
which is characteristic of the Great Island. That is the
case of the Pangalanes Canal in the East and the Manambolo
and Tsiribihina rivers in the West in the Menabe region.
The Pangalanes - with their course which is parallel to
the coastline - link through a lush tropical forest lakes
and lagoons. On the opposite side of the country, the
Manambolo and Tsiribihina impose their majestic courses
in a landscape sometimes lunar, sometimes edged with a
particular vegetation, "cutting up" plateaux
without hesitation to form gorges with impressive cliffs.
And as a bonus, the Bemaraha Tsingy which are listed as
a world heritage by the UNESCO!
Maritime
cruisis
Even though the Indian Ocean is not competing with the
Caribbean, the Aegean Sea or Northern Europe yet, it has
some very good potentialities in the field of cruises.
Madagascar is located on two sea routes: One from South
Africa and another from the North via Kenya. For service
providers, calls are complicated exercises. It is about
showing the maximum of things in the minimum of time.
SOMACRAM has the experience of these brief stays ashore
and the relevant logistics whatever ports are visited,
with - on request - the possibility of inland extension
by special plane.
Incentive
The trips of Groups of people fom works committees or
other associations requires a particular approach. Besides
relaxation and change of scene, they also have more specific
aims. With its accomodation capacity and its selection
of appropriate sites and programmes, SOMACRAM is the most
suitable partner and service provider to make these important
people's trip in Madagascar a safe and profitable investment.
Going
on with the world
SOMACRAM moves with its time, that of globalisation and
the multiplication of exchanges in intellectual field
as well as in social and economic domain. Present-day
Madagascar has chosen to open its doors to international
organizations and investors for its Fast and Durable Development.
SOMACRAM is used to meticulous organizations of seminars
and conferences. Its experience of business trips guarantees
individuals as well as delegations efficient logistics,
ranging from reservations to the provision - if necessary
- of translators,passing through all the requirements
of a successful stay.
